20 December 2016

In particular, negative alliesthesia refers to the notion that repeated administration of a stimulus will affect the internal milieu in such a way that the rewarding aspects of the stimulus are attenuated (e.g., the second or third piece of chocolate does not feel as good as the first). In contrast, positive alliesthesia is observed if the repeated administration (or omission) of a stimulus changes the internalmilieu in such a way as to increase its rewarding aspects. For example, fasting can enhance the subjective pleasantness of food images (Stoeckel et al., 2007). These phenomena can also be observed in animals. Specifically, pre-feeding has been associated with negative alliesthesia (Zhao and Cabanac, 1994), whereas food restriction was found to increase the sensory reward derived from alcohol, which is an example of positive alliesthesia (Soderpalm and Hansen, 1999). Based on the alliesthesia construct, some investigators proposed a dynamic, homeostatic hypothesis of pleasure regulation (Cabanac et al., 2002).

Although this question is essential for psychiatry, for example, has only a philosophic answer. On one hand, it’s impossible to switch off the human Ego like any other mental function and see how the body works afterwards. On the other hand, the neurobiology is quite far from finding the sweet home of cogito among the brain structures. And finally, a question like that about cogito will remain unanswered due to its specific position. Let’s explain it with the help of some global constructions. After a human is born he or she becomes a person due to a complex process of upbringing.